Various locations in L.A.

Sure, it may seem a little cheesy, but there’s no way booking a dinner cruise—on a yacht, with a coastline view—won’t win you points. Get dolled up and take to the water for a romantic meal and cocktails, then dance under the stars to tunes spun by a DJ. If you really want to impress—and have the funds—upgrading to the “Romance Package” will get you champagne with flutes, plus a half-dozen roses. You can set sail from either Marina del Rey (13757 Fiji Way) or Long Beach (Rainbow Harbor, Dock 6A). Daytime brunch cruises are also available.

For more than three decades, this South L.A. tradition has assembled marching bands, street performers and local civic leaders as part of the world’s longest-running Martin Luther King Jr. celebration. While it typically takes place on MLK Day, this year’s parade was rescheduled in the midst of the fires, and will now take place in the middle of Black History Month. This year’s theme is “Peace and Unity, Let it Start with Us.” The televised event kicks off on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Western Avenue, heads down Crenshaw Boulevard and swings around Leimert Park Plaza, where you’ll find a post-parade festival.

One fateful afternoon in 1924, Lionel Sternberger contemplated the hamburger he was cooking up at Pasadena’s Rite Spot and thought it needed a little something extra. A simple slice of American cheese later and the cheeseburger was born, spawning hundreds of variations across the country and inspiring Pasadena to celebrate its prodigal son with a week dedicated to all things cheeseburger. Choose from a few dozen Pasadena restaurants to take advantage of burger deals and special creations and vote in the Cheeseburger Challenge. The annual week-long celebration only confirms what Sternberger knew all along: Everything tastes better with cheese.

The term CicLAvia stems from a similar Spanish word for “bike way,” and in L.A. it’s become a shorthand for the temporary, festival-like closing of L.A.’s streets. The event (inspired by the first Ciclovías in Bogotá, Colombia) welcomes bikes, tricycles, skateboards, strollers and basically anything else without an engine to ride a rotating cast of car-free routes. You’ll inevitably always find a route each year around Downtown, but past events have taken it anywhere from the harbor to the San Gabriel Valley. Expect music, street performances and food trucks, as well as general whimsy and shenanigans along the way. Shop owners and restaurants along the CicLAvia route also tend to host specials. It goes without saying that you should bike or take the Metro to your desired spot along the route.

The desert-spanning biennial is back, with premieres of site-specific works from about a dozen artists. For its fifth iteration, Desert X will once again stage outdoor installations across about 40 miles of the Coachella Valley from March 8 to May 11, 2025.

Shop local at this celebration of small businesses, held not in Venice but in downtown Mar Vista, along Venice Boulevard. The arts and music festival brings together over 300 local brands and artists three times a year, attracting some 100,000 shoppers. You’ll also find food, live music, art installations and games on Venice between Centinela Avenue and Inglewood Boulevard. The fest is free and pet-friendly.

Get ready: In 2028, Los Angeles will host the Summer Olympic Games. After initially vying for a bid in 2024, L.A. was awarded the ’28 Games back in 2017.